Al Muratsuchi, David Hadley in virtual deadheat in Assembly match-up

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In a dry run for a November Assembly race that will be among the most closely watched in California, 66th District incumbent Al Muratsuchi and Republican David Hadley finished in a virtual deadheat in the primary election Tuesday.

With mail-in ballots counted and all precincts reporting, Hadley had a razor-thin edge in the race with 50.1 percent of the vote to 49.9 for Muratsuchi. Only 73 votes separated the two after more than 47,000 ballots were cast.

With only two candidates in the primary race, both qualify for a rematch in the Nov. 3 general election.

Political analyst Scott Lay said election observers are paying close attention to the race between Muratsuchi, a former Torrance school board member seeking his second term, and Hadley, a Manhattan Beach businessman, because Republicans must pick up two seats in the Assembly to end the Democrats’ super-majority in Sacramento.

Lay said the 66th District, which hugs the coast from Manhattan Beach to the Palos Verdes Peninsula and also includes Torrance, Gardena and Lomita, represents one of the Republicans’ best chances for taking a Democratic seat in the Legislature.